AuthorTopic: Reach (Read 485 times)

When Halo first came out in 2001, I was a young chap who latched onto the game like it was a holy book, just like countless others. The story of desperate escape from some unbeknown place called Reach and the expansive conflict over a ring world known as Halo drove something entirely special in the gaming culture of the time. Many books and several games later, the passionate people of Bungie have delivered their farewell in a bittersweet fashion. The story of the death of Reach also signifies the end of an era, the last in the truly epic series that began its journey a decade ago.

When the campaign begins, the stunning work to upgrade the environments comes full well across. You meet Noble team and assume the role of Noble 6, the teams newest addition. While many griped about how unmemorable the characters seemed, I believe this was somewhat to intention. You as Noble 6 forge your connection and place inside the story, the game was geared towards those who intimately know the Halo universe and its tapestry of characters and conflict. Nearly every human being on Reach died, Nobles Spartans alongside them. The real characters of Masterchief, Captain Keyes, Dr. Halsey, and to an extent Buck and Cortana are all present within the game if you pay close enough attention. Countless small details and references throughout the game build the larger idea. AI is cruel, so very cruel, it will do terrible things to you with a dogged and wicked intent, in other words its very smart (though I would caution against friendly AI drivers, they seem to be gung-ho and intoxicated). Playing at different difficulties will influence these details and expand the stories emotion further; for example, on Legendary difficulty you will have The Siege of Madrigal play in certain places and extra tidbits. New weapons must be understood as old, the assault rifles themselves if inspected bear the stamp of a local armoury. Each mission is highly re playable on new difficulties, with skulls adding further troubles should you activate them. Furthermore campaign can be played with friends over live or on the same consul.

Multiplayer makes landfall with carnage on all new levels. Bungie has revamped the voting and matchmaking systems to allow quicker matches and democratic selection of proffered games based on game type on a lobby by lobby basis. New gametypes like invasion and headhunter join old favorites like oddball and CTF, lets also not forget the fantastic SWAT variant (loved it since H2). The maps vary, some small and some maddeningly large, particularly Boneyard and Spire. Many fans will be happy to see the return of Blood Gulch, which is as fun as ever, with the exception of SWAT which does not function well on the map. Bungie also has introduced the Arena, where averages of players best games in the playlist are seasonally ranked and placed into competitive divisions crowned by the coveted Onyx division. Firefight is larger and can be just plain brutal should you choose to up your difficulty that far. Remember to use your target designators sparingly!

Armour customization is greatly expanded and provides incentive to attain more "credits" which are gained through playing Campaign and multiplayer. Weekly and daily challenges provide extra credit bumps and help push players toward their goal of a shiny new helmet etc. You can customize armour colour, visor colour, emblems, knee pads, shoulder paldrouns, chest plates, thigh and wrist plating, the list goes on. Many armour variants are locked or not even visible early on, as you military rank increases through distinguished service these will become available, and yes, the Mark V helmet of H1 as well as the Mark VI of H2 do become available (eventually).

Forge has become a veritable behemoth. In particular, the map forge world. The tool that made Halo 3 such a success has almost no limits in Reach. You can even spawn pre- fabricated three story buildings, or a fleet of Falcon gunships should you wish. You can now snap objects create kill barriers etc., the classic effects allow you to even change the aesthetic lighting. My one gripe is the new tweaks to moving objects, the bumpers now control height adjustment, its been very hard to get used to. It certainly is no Garry's Mod, but its damned fine at what it does and what its meant for.

Overall Bungie has produced what it always has strove for, a game that can be played, replayed, shared, and enjoyed for years to come. While games like Modern Warfare are certainly enjoyable, they lack the elements that make a game truly unique. New maps are planned for release, Bungie has also promised constant change in playlists, plus the usual holiday shenanigans( play on Halloween in online multiplayer for a special surprise). So that's it boys and girls, grab your DMRs, and heft your frag grenades, its a 10/10.